Page 58 of Ace of Spades
So how did Taylor play into his life?
All he had to do was keep their relationship on steady ground, the same as it had been for the past year. Best friends, but with benefits now added to their friendship. It was doable. Taylor never lied, and she’d saidshe had no desire for a husband or kids of her own, so he didn’t have to worry about her getting stars in her eyes.
Satisfied that his world was as it should be, he drifted off, still inhaling Taylor’s lemony scent and still with his hand on her hip.
The first time in his life that he greeted the morning in a woman’s bed, he woke up alone. Nate frowned as he ran his hand over the sheet, finding it cold to the touch. He glanced at the clock and groaned. The sun hadn’t been up more than an hour. Because he rarely arrived home before three in the morning, he was not a morning person. Everyone’s lunch hour was breakfast time for him. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, then blinked them open, and then scrubbed his hand over them.
With another groan, he rolled out of bed and collected his clothes, taking them into the bathroom with him. As he set them on the counter, he noticed a toothbrush still in its package next to the sink, along with a tube of toothpaste. A black comb was there, too. He smiled. His host was a thoughtful woman.
After a quick shower, he felt much better, the sand in his eyes gone. Except he didn’t like putting on yesterday’s clothes and should have thought to bring a change. Of course, he didn’t know he’d be spending the night when he’d come over. Leaving off his boots for now, he went looking for his best friend, the one he’d shared some damn good benefits with.
At the end of the hallway, he leaned against the wall. She was already dressed for work in her FBI uniform of black pants and a blouse, blue today. That was the color he liked best on her. It made her eyes even bluer. Her back was to him as she stared out the kitchen window, sipping a cup of coffee. What was she thinking? He eased up behind her, his sock-clad feet quiet as he approached.
“Good morning,” she said without turning.
He grinned. “Morning, tiger.” She was probably the only woman in the world he couldn’t sneak up on. He pressed his body against her back and put his hands on the counter, trapping her. Unable to resist, he nuzzled his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent. He loved how she smelled.
Taylor closed her eyes, doing her best not to melt against Nate, but failed. Epically. What red-blooded woman could resist that hot body wrapped around her? Apparently, not her.
She’d had a long talk with herself while staring at the window. Unless a miracle happened, he would never love her back. Oh, he liked her a lot, she was sure. He wanted her. That had been obvious last night. She’d woken up, and as she’d watched him sleeping, she’d wondered if she was wrong to just settle for an affair with him.
Affair.She hated that word. It was going to hurt so badly when he decided it was time to end their relationship. But he was worth the risk, and just maybe ...
“You always smell so good,” he said, still nuzzling her neck.
She turned in his arms, and he didn’t give an inch, which put them pelvis to pelvis, chest to breasts, and because he was leaning down, mouth to mouth. And, oh God, he was shirtless, his hair wet and loose. Her dream warrior, the man of her fantasies.
I really, really could get used to having him around,her brain said, as if that would be news to her. When he kissed her, her mind decided it was time to shut up and just enjoy. She loved his lips. They were lush and soft, and, heavens, they were the most talented lips to ever touch hers. He didn’t just kiss, he sucked, he nipped, he explored. She put her hands on his chest, splaying her fingers. His heart beat under her right hand, a thump-thump against her palm, pulsing faster the longer they kissed.
I can make his heart pound,she thought, and that was good enough for now. It had to be.
“Poor Nate,” Alex said, peering at her with mischief in his eyes. “Caught him doing the walk of shame this morning. Big brother was trying to sneak back to his condo, but I’m Super Spy. Nothing gets past me.”
“Will you stop it?” Taylor said, trying not to laugh. “Besides, how do you know he didn’t spend the night in his car, keeping an eye on my apartment?”
The amusement faded from his expression. “Because he had a smile on his face, one I’ve never seen on him before. The same kind I’d see on my face when looking in the mirror after meeting Madison.” He leaned forward, scooting the desk chair closer—Nate’s chair—and locked eyes with her. “You’re good for him, Taylor. I know my brother, though, and because he doesn’t think he deserves to be happy, he’ll try to scare you off. Don’t let him.”
“And what if he’s not what I want?”
He gave her a shrewd look. “Isn’t he?”
She stirred the whipped cream into the iced mocha coffee she’d bought on the way in. How to answer his question? Honestly, she supposed. What was the point of denying it?
“Yes, but we’ve both agreed that ...” She felt her cheeks heating as Alex patiently waited for her to finish. Dang, these Gentry brothers were good at interrogation.
“That we’re just friends, is all.” Her relationship with Nate was private, between them.
He stared at her a moment, then grinned, and then gave a deep belly laugh.
“Why’s that so funny?”
Still grinning, he said, “Because you both are so full of crap.” He leaned back in the chair. “Whenever you guys are in the same room together, I want to yell, ‘Get a room,’ and it’s been that way for months. It’s more than just the sexual tension between you two. You genuinelylike each other. And Taylor, he won’t be an easy man to love, but once he’s committed, he’ll be a hundred percent in.”
Because that was the kind of man Nate was. She eyed Alex. “Why are we having this conversation?”
“Simple. I want my brother to be happy, and I think ... No, I know that he would be happy with you if he’d just get his head out of his ass and see what everyone else does.”
“And exactly what does everyone else see?”
